Gardener Supervisor

Summary

You will serve as a Gardener Supervisor with National Park Service. The purpose of this position is to provide gardening and landscaping supervision, planning, and direction for all the disparate gardens and landscape grounds areas in the 99 separate parcels that make up Rock Creek Park, a heavily visited historic, natural, and recreational park. This includes installation and maintenance of materials to protect and improve the cultural and natural park landscapes.

Duties

• Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Exercises full first-line supervisory responsibility over a gardening and landscape maintenance crew engaged in the preservation, maintenance, and improvement of historic and non-historic landscapes, grounds, turf, ornamental plantings, gardens, and related facilities. Responsible for the occupational safety and health of employees assigned. Performs and directs the full range of advanced gardening and horticultural duties involving historic and cultural landscapes, ornamental gardens, turf areas, athletic fields, planting beds, shrubs, trees, and other landscape features. Diagnoses plant health issues and determine corrective actions involving soil amendments, irrigation modifications, integrated pest management, biological controls, and chemical treatments. Performs soil testing, evaluates growing conditions, calculates seed, fertilizer, and irrigation requirements, and determines proper horticultural practices to support plant establishment and long-term sustainability. Oversees administrative aspects of the gardening and landscape maintenance program, including budget planning, operating programs, pest management programs, maintenance management systems and resource allocation. Serves as Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or technical representative for landscape maintenance and horticultural contracts. Monitors contractor performance, inspects completed work, and ensures compliance with contract specifications.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/15/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. To qualify for this position, you must have sufficient knowledge and ability in the following job-related factors: Ability to Lead or Supervise (SCREEN-OUT) Technical Practices: theoretical, precise, artistic Knowledge of Materials Ability to Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Dexterity and Safety Use of Measuring Instruments Ability to Interpret Instructions, specifications; other than blueprints If your knowledge and ability in the SCREEN OUT factor above is not sufficient, you will receive no further consideration. In preparing your application, describe in detail the experience and training which you have had that specifically prepared you for this job and to perform the duties described for this job. Experience should be clearly described and documented in your resume. Your resume must support your response to the assessment questionnaire, and if it does not, your application will be marked as not eligible. The qualifications reviewer will not assume performance of such duties by Job Titles alone. Address your knowledge, skills and/or abilities in the areas shown in the job-related factors. You must meet at least 2 points on the screen-out element(s) and obtain an average of at least 2 points on all of the job elements to be considered qualified for this position. Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. A financial disclosure report will be required within 30 days of appointment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. This is a supervisory position that may require completion of a supervisory probationary period.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience for Federal Wage System (FWS) positions.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the 09/15/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement to receive consideration. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. To PREVIEW the application questionnaire, select the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13048017 Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status, visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.